In a little over a week we will be participating in Menagha's St. Urho 5K and 10K. (My kids will be in the 5K and I am signed up for the 10K.) I really like having the option to run a 10K. The 5K feels too fast for me. A link to the race is here in case you would like to join us. Missee and I have run this race before. For me, it has been quite a long time ago. It is really a beautiful area of Minnesota with lots of pine trees. I'm looking forward to it! In preparation for the run next weekend, my running friend and I ran six miles today. I have been using Strava on my Apple watch to track my runs lately. I really like this app. At each mile mark, it tells me the mile number, the overall time, and the pace of the previous mile. I love this audio feature since without glasses on, it can be difficult to read my watch. The app is free. In addition to running, a favorite summer activity of mine is picking strawberries. My kids and I got to the Brouwer Berry Farm this week. These strawberries are so sweet. We managed to control our urge to pick too many berries this year. We had just enough to share with friends, eat with a few meals, and freeze three bags. Happy Summer! Happy Running! -Stephanie
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Summer is delightfully busy. We are busy with out of town trips, more time with extended family, fun in the sun, house projects, and the piano recital. Both of our children take piano lessons. During the year they have weekly lessons, practice (not always as much as they should), and have a few piano activities. The annual recital is always in June and it is always a joy to hear the progress made by all of the students. This year was no exception. The recital was wonderful! (The photo below was taken before the recital.) Where has the time gone? Here are the kids before a recital several years ago. My parents spent the night after the concert with us. In the morning, we all power washed our house and deck. I have never done this task before. Luckily we had Grandpa to give us some pointers. I had no idea how dirty our white house actually was. The kids joined in the fun by soaping the house and spraying. I missed my normal morning run to get started on house washing, so I attempted to run later in the afternoon. Hats off to anyone who can run in the late afternoon during the summer! I don't know how you do it. I ended up with a sweaty three mile run, two photos, and a one mile cool down walk. Are there outdoor projects that you would like to do this summer? Feel free to share your summer "to do" list in the comments.
Happy Running! Happy Summer! -Stephanie The following report is from the Sunnybrook Stomp in Wadena, MN that took place this past Saturday. The writer is Sandie, our mom, who often comments on blog posts, too. The photographer was Steve, our dad. Thanks for the great recap...maybe we'll all be able to run Sunnybrook in 2019. The name of the race comes from the park where it starts and finishes. Sunnybrook Park has been a Wadena landmark for many years and remains a beautiful spot to have a picnic lunch and lots of play space for the kids. There is also a trout stream for kids under 16 to enjoy. June 23, 2018 The Sunnybrook Stomp is our local summer road race. It is a 5K that loops around the park and adjacent streets in Wadena. No one is really sure of how long this race has been going on, but the best guess is 37 years. It was started by the hospital administrator, Jim Lawson as a way to promote physical fitness. There have been a variety of sponsors including the Chamber, Community Education and now back to the hospital. This works best as they have a great staff who volunteer to make sure everything goes smooth. Well, this years race was on a beautiful sunny morning starting at 8:30. The little kids 1K was first with the last runner in stopping to pick some pretty flowers before completing her race. There were about 65 runners, joggers, and walkers in todays stomp. The ages ran from elementary students to senior citizens. My personal race was about average for me, once again I let other commitments come before my “training”. Somehow, quilt camp wasn’t conducive to training, although a dedicated runner would find the scenery and terrain amazing. So although I started out my race jogging, after about a half mile I was walk-jogging the rest. My race ended up 44:14 not my best or my worst. So onto the next race, St. Urho in Menahga. With 2 weeks to train, my goal is to jog the entire race. Time will tell. Here are a couple of action shots from the race itself: The shirts are super cute. The bright color is also handy for those who like to be out on the roads in the dusk and dawn hours to increase visibility. They are the tech fabric which washes up so nicely, too. This race is also very affordable compared to many. Earlybird registration was $15 or $20 race day making this a good option for families with a number of runners--local races should encourage physical activity in families. Thank you to our guest blogger and photographer for providing a great race recap. We are looking forward to seeing what a couple more weeks of training might bring to the St.Urho Run in two weeks. Earlybird registration for that race is open until June 30. Stephanie and her kids are registered. My boys and I are going to decide by Friday to take advantage of the reduced rate if possible. Happy running and hope to see you in Menhaga--Missee
A few days ago I was driving with my daughter and mentioned how I'd stopped at a particular convenience store to use the bathroom on a somewhat emergent basis. This particular establishment has a great morning manager who generally calls out, "Enjoy your run!" on my way out. Haley wondered aloud if stores would be willing to post a sign in the window if their company is friendly to runners who needed to use their facilities and water fountains. (It goes without saying that I do try to be an actual customer of places I use the bathroom.) . We took that one step further with an idea for a new App for runner's phones.
What if there could be an App with Google Maps that would mark all indoor and outdoor bathrooms and water fountains? On our regular routes, we pretty much know where most of the facilities are located, but it's sometimes fun to take new roads. Running is a great way to see new towns on vacation, but wouldn't it be handy to know if I am passing the last good potty for a few miles? I'm not too technologically savvy, so if anyone knows how to make an app, let's talk! I could definitely help you map out my area. Here's to hoping you won't need my app on your next run :-) . Happy running--Missee Today is the Summer Solstice which is the first day of summer and also the longest day of the year. I'm enjoying the light mornings and evenings and trying not to think about how dark it will be toward December. Since we were enjoying so much daylight, Charlie and I set out on a photo safari run to gather some signs of summer: For clarification, Charlie wears a Gentle Leader, not a muzzle. He's a very friendly running dog who likes to chase cars. The leader helps him focus and keep running forward. At our front door, I noticed that my flower pots are doing pretty well; I'm not known for keeping my plants in good condition. Off we went. After a couple of miles, we took a shortcut through a park only a few blocks from my house. Although we live in a city of 17,000 people--this area looks relatively untouched. The park does have facilities for baseball, soccer, lacrosse, frisbee golf, volleyball, basketball and picnics. At the bottom of the hill, we found a cute sentiment in someone's flowers. The final site we noticed was this house at the end of our block. For years, the house was in increasing disrepair. Someone purchased it over the winter and has been working really hard to renovate the house. There is now neat landscaping in the yard where in past summers the lawn was rarely if ever even cut. I don't know if the new owners are planning to live in or flip the house. The main thing is that it will be a good home for a new neighbor sometime soon. We had a wonderful morning looking for signs of summer. I hope you were able to take advantage of the longest day of the year with some outdoor activities. Happy running! Missee
Be sure to read Missee's blog post about the half marathon that she rocked last weekend. I loved the part of her youngest son ran with her and encouraged her along the way. He is really good at that. Several years ago, my running friend and I ran Grandma's Marathon. Towards the end, the most grueling physical and mental part of the race, her son jumped on the course and ran with us for a bit. He was like a breath of fresh air, a ray of sunshine, a bolt of energy that we desperately needed. He might have a future as a running coach? The last miles in a marathon are tough. You have run a long way, but you have a long way to go. Your body is hurting, you are tired, and you still have a long way to go. This shirt made me smile. So true... Three random thoughts to share with you on a Wednesday morning... 1. As I stepped outside to run this morning, I noticed this "summer snow." Does anyone know what type of tree this is coming from? 2. These socks are awesome. Missee sent me a pair of Darn Tough wool socks. The link to the Darn Tough Socks website is here. They are a lightweight sock that is perfect for summer running. 3. Do you think you could spot teachers at the beach? I enjoy watching video clips of Principal Gerry Brooks on YouTube. He has a great video clip on Teachers at the Beach. Since I am a teacher, I found it pretty funny. Do you agree? Happy Wednesday! -Stephanie
This past Saturday, I ran the half marathon that is in conjunction with Grandma's Marathon in Duluth. It is named after one of the early winners of the marathon who was a Northern MN runner, Garry Bjorklund. This race is generally very hard to get an entry to...it used to be a lottery system where one would sign up in October and find out in early November if you are selected. This year they did an online que at 5:00pm on October 1 and that is what they will be doing again for 2019. Blake and I both got entries although for next year, I won't have to get one for Blake as his performance this year earned him Elite status for next year, but more on that later. Both the half and full marathon are point to point courses that begin along Lake Superior and finish just before Duluth's famous Aerial Lift Bridge. We boarded the bus at UMD (Blake's alma mater and David's new school) at 4:45am. Hundreds of buses gather runners from about a dozen locations and deliver them to the start of the half. Be very careful if you are ever running the half to be on time for the bus because the 5:45 bus will take you all the way to Two Harbors where the full starts. Someone actually did that and ended up "accidentally" running the full. This happened at Fargo, too, which makes me wonder a little on the "accident" part. Blake and I had a nice visit about navigating the starting area and goals on the way up. When we got off the bus, we quickly joined a porta potty line to take care of business, so to speak. Once we had relieved ourselves, Blake decided to do some warm up running. I held his extra clothing and walked up further to join yet another porta potty line...just in case. When Blake returned from his warm-up, he was grateful I'd joined the line and the nice guys behind me let him join the line with me rather than behind them. Thanks, guys! Once we had finished there, we put all our warm-up clothing in our checked bags and found our way to the bag drop. The men's and women's bag drop separated at that point, so we wished each other well with a promise to meet up at a footbridge near the finishing area after the race. With 7,500 runners, the starting area is huge and tight. I tried to make my way up toward the 2:00 pacer for the start but only managed to get as far as between the 2:45 and 2:30 runners. Oh well, this is a chip-timed event and I'd need to just try to move up when I could. When the gun sounded, I was at the 13 mile marker for the marathon meaning I was still a full .1 miles to the starting line. People were very patiently walking along until we got near the starting mats where we took off running. I tried not to weave too much knowing that adds effort and distance to the race...which you do not get credit for! I got to Mile 1 in 9:20...way too slow, but nothing to do about it now...keep running! After that, I clocked a couple of 8:50-9:00 miles making it to Mile 5 in almost exactly 45:00 and still behind the 2:15 pacer. At Mile 5 was the best part of the race, David met me there to be my pace buddy and cheerleader. He is awesome! I told him I had been averaging 9:00 and would like to stay right there for a while and we pretty much did. I'll admit that I would have had a really hard time from Mile 9-10.5 without his positive attitude, but at Mile 11, we kicked it into the finish with an 8:36 followed by an 8:13! I'm anxiously awaiting the official photos from Mile 12 where David was saying out loud, "Look at my mom; she runs half marathons and she's real fast." Around 12.5 miles, we finally caught the 2:00 pacer and thanked him for his work. At Mile 13, David was telling me he was proud of me--great kid! This is David (far right) and me (left) headed toward the finish: I finished in 1:56 within a few seconds of Earth Day. I was plenty satisfied. Meanwhile, miles up ahead, Blake was blazing along at around 5:30 per mile for a finish of 1:11, over 1 hour ahead of what the race stats list as "average." Looking at this photo, these guys are clearly running fast and maintained that pace the whole time. Blake is on the far right. As always, this race had cute shirts and hefty medals. Someone was apparently mad at me for leaving for the weekend, or thinks he is the subject of all photos :-) The finishing area of the race keeps runners separate from the crowds until they can gather their shirt, medal, clothing and foods. After entering the entertainment area, runners can use their beverage ticket for a beer or a Coke--guess which one I chose! Blake and his girlfriend found David and I in the beverage area and we all proceeded over the the convention center to catch a bus back to St.Scholastica College which is near my in-law's home.
This is a top-notch event that is well run and lots of fun. I'd definitely participate in one of the races again next year. Congratulations to all the finishers and best of luck to those of you doing other races. The Sunnybrook Stomp is coming up this weekend. I hope we can get a guest blogger to review it! Happy running--Missee Grandma's Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon will begin in hours from now next to beautiful Lake Superior. It is a scenic course that overlooks the shores of Lake Superior, takes runners through Downtown Duluth, and ends in festive Canal Park. Best of luck to all of the runners!
I will be wishing Missee, my nephew, and all of the runners a great race early tomorrow morning. May your pace be faster than you hoped for, may your feet be blister free, and may you feel proud of your accomplishment. You are awesome for signing up and undertaking the challenge! I'm already looking forward to Missee's race recap. Good Luck, Runners! -Stephanie Here we are in not-so-sunny Duluth. It is supposedly really hot and humid at home, but my car thermometer ready a balmy 61 degrees and cloudy/misty weather when I headed down to the Duluth Convention Center to pick up our race packets this morning. The expo was open a few hours last night and then again at 10am today. I got there around 11 and found the crowds to be steady, but fairly light which is precisely why I went early. I don't enjoy loud and crowded spaces which might be why I took up running and not an indoor sport with lots of crowds. One of the highlights for many people is the pre-race pasta feed. Being a gluten free runner with gluten free family members, we generally avoid such events. Here is the venue--sorry for the poor camera work: Toyota is one of the main sponsors for the race. Anyone who breaks a course record will receive a new Toyota...Kara Goucher holds the record in the half marathon at 1:09:45. It's safe as far as I'm concerned. Toyota puts all the names of the race participants on a Toyota. I'm not sure what they do with this car when the race is over, but I did find us on there: Once I'd located our names amongst the 18,000 runners scheduled to run this weekend, I found some cousins coming into the building. Heather is the daughter of of one of my mom's cousins. I think that makes us second cousins, but in that family, we are all just "cousins"! Heather will be running the half tomorrow; Noah and Ellie are running in the Whippersnapper Kids Races this afternoon. Good luck family!!! Duluth is under a ton of construction this summer. The marathon and half marathon courses have been slightly adjusted for the next three years to accommodate downtown construction. For the 5K tonite, the starting area is going to be very tight as the road has been reduced to one lane. Good thing David is super fast and will get right off the line and avoid the congestion. People who run 8-10 minute miles might have more trouble. Here are our race numbers and David's shirt and socks. Nice prizes! Blake and I won't get shirts until we cross the line as they are "Finisher" shirts. Looking forward to a fun day with my boys :-) Good luck to everyone running races this weekend. Send us your race reports in the comments section! Happy running--Missee
A couple of weeks ago we were anxiously following and congratulating Stephanie on her awesome performance at the Fargo Marathon. Sunday, she completed a marathon of a different sort at my house...she graciously manned the food table at David's graduation at our house. Of course, this was not actually a marathon. Don't forget, we runners aren't terribly amused by those who don't recognize that a marathon is a real distance of 26.2 miles--not a "marathon" of any random distance. For those of you who have not yet hosted a graduation open house, when a sister or friend offers to do the kitchen serving for you--SAY YES! I had the food mostly prepared, but Stephanie took care of refilling the bowls, watching for the ice cream getting melty and helping out anyone who needed something from the house. I got to enjoy the party and greet guests, some of whom I hadn't seen in a very long time. My whole family was so appreciative that we didn't have to worry about the food table during the party. I'll definitely be returning the favor when my niece and nephew graduate in a few years. The party was fantastic; we had gorgeous weather and enjoyed chatting with friends and family. The graduate enjoyed every minute. What a fabulous finish to his high school years. Now that the party is over, our focus is shifting... Later this week, my husband, boys and I will be headed to Duluth, MN, first for David's college orientation and then to the Grandma's Marathon weekend races. David will be running the 5K on Friday night. Blake and I will be following that up with the half marathon on Saturday morning. It's a 6:15am start. Love the early start!!!
I last ran the half at Grandma's in 2014. I ran the full marathon in 2015 an 2016 and then volunteered at a water station last year while nursing an injury. This is the 42nd running of the marathon and around the 30th on the half marathon. A race doesn't last that long without being well run. I will follow up after the race with a full report! Since we will be in town an extra day early, I hope to take my time and enjoy the expo when we pick up our packets. Are you gearing up for a race this summer? Be sure to share it with us in the comments and maybe we will see you there! Happy running--Missee |
AuthorMissee and Stephanie are two Minnesota sisters and moms who love to run. We are not experts in running, parenting or anything else, but we do have years of experiences that may be helpful or entertaining to others. Archives
May 2020
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